Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions. Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal, this classic fantasy-adventure is now available in a handsome new edition. "William Pne du Bois combines his rich imagination, scientific tastes, and brilliant artistry to tell a story that has no age limit." -- The Horn Book
The Twenty-One Balloons ANNOTATION Tells what happens to a bored old mathematician when he takes a trip across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
FROM THE PUBLISHER Professor William Waterman Sherman just wants to be alone. So he decides to takea year off and spend it crossing the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon the likes of which no one has ever seen. But when he is found after just three weeks floating in the Atlantic among the wreckage of twenty hot-air balloons, naturally, the world is eager to know what happened. How did he end up with so many balloons . . . and in the wrong ocean?
Winner of the Newbery Medal
FROM THE CRITICS Children's Literature - Kristin Harris This Newbery Medal winner was written in 1947 and definitely has the look and feel of another era. Professor Sherman wants to retire from teaching math and travel by balloon for a whole year. His balloon, the Globe, rose quickly and is carried from San Francisco out over the ocean. Sea gulls fighting over food on the top of his balloon punctured it, and Professor Sherman plummets to the legendary island of Krakatoa. How he ended in the Atlantic in a 20-balloon contraption after Krakatoa exploded is what kept a nation transfixed until he could tell his story-but only to the Western American Explorers Club. Numerous drawings by the author accompany the story to help kids visualize the wide range of exotic inventions that are an integral part of life on Krakatoa.
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